Stress Management

What doesnt KILL you will only make you STRONGER.

Program Outline
I. II. Understanding Stress Effects of Stress

III. Sources of Stress IV. Stress Management Techniques

UNDERSTANDING

STRESS

What is Stress?
Importance, significance, or emphasis placed on something An applied force or system of forces that tends to strain or deform a body

A stimulus to change from the external or internal environment

What is Stress?
Dr. Hans Selye Father of Stress Theory "the nonspecific response of the body to any demand made upon it." stress is not necessarily something bad it all depends on how you take it.

What is Stress?
Dr. Richard S. Lazarus
Stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize. Eustress enhances function Distress detrimental to function

Stress: A matter of judgment

In becoming stressed, people must therefore make two main judgments: They must feel threatened by the situation, and They must doubt that their capabilities and resources are sufficient to meet the threat.

Stress and Your Performance

Positive effects of pressure
Sportsmen and women flood their bodies with fight-or-flight adrenaline to power an explosive performance. Deadlines are used to motivate people who seem bored or unmotivated When you feel out of control or when performance suffers

and the Negative

Pressure and PerformanceThe Inverted U

Stress Reaction Mechanisms

Fight-or-Flight Response
Basic survival instinct Outpouring of adrenaline Very short term Provides the strength and energy to either fight or run away from danger

Stress Reaction Mechanisms

Fight-or-Flight Response
increase in heart rate and blood pressure (to get more blood to the muscles, brain and heart), faster breathing (to take in more oxygen), tensing of muscles (preparation for action), increased mental alertness and sensitivity of sense organs (to assess the situation and act quickly),

Stress Reaction Mechanisms

Fight-or-Flight Response
increased blood flow to the brain, heart and muscles (the organs that are most important in dealing with danger) less blood to the skin, digestive tract, kidneys and liver (where it is least needed in times of crisis). increase in blood sugar, fats and cholesterol (for extra energy) rise in platelets and blood clotting factors (to prevent hemorrhage in case of injury)

EFFECTS OF STRESS

Common Symptoms of Stress

Physical: fatigue, headache, insomnia, muscle aches/stiffness (especially neck, shoulders and low back), heart palpitations, chest pains, abdominal cramps, nausea, trembling, cold extremities, flushing or sweating and frequent colds.

Common Symptoms of Stress

Mental: decrease in concentration and memory, indecisiveness, mind racing or going blank, confusion, loss of sense of humor.

Common Symptoms of Stress

Emotional: anxiety, nervousness, depression, anger, frustration, worry, fear, irritability, impatience, short temper.

Common Symptoms of Stress

Behavioral: pacing, fidgeting, nervous habits (nail-biting, foot-tapping), increased eating, smoking, drinking, crying, yelling, swearing, blaming and even throwing things or hitting.

Physiological Response to Stress

Adrenaline (Epinephrine) and other hormones are released to intensify body functions Increases breathing, heart rate and blood pressure Rapid production of ENERGY Other hormones shut down functions unnecessary during the emergency Growth, reproduction and the immune system all go on hold

Effects of Stress on the Body

Immune System Lower resistance to infection and diseases Free radical-damage to DNA Cardiovascular System Impaired heart function; hypertension Central Nervous System Anxiety, depression, fatigue Physical Properties Accelerated aging process

Short Term Performance Effects

Interferes with clear judgment and makes it
difficult to take the time to make good decisions. Can seriously reduce your enjoyment of your work Gets in the way of fine motor control. Causes difficult situations to be seen as a threat, not a challenge. Damages the positive frame of mind you need for high quality work Consumes mental energy in distraction, anxiety, frustration and temper. This is energy that should be devoted to the work in hand.

Long Term Performance Effects

Worry or anxiety
Feeling ill Feeling out of control or overwhelmed by events Mood changes (Depression, Frustration, Hostility, Helplessness, Impatience & Irritability, Restlessness) Being more lethargic Difficulty sleeping Drinking more alcohol and smoking more Changing eating habits Reduced sex drive Relying more on medication Confusion & inability to concentrate or make decisions

Effects of Stress Gone Out of Control

Fatigue and Exhaustion Depression Burn Out Breakdown

TAKE STRESS SERIOUSLY!

ACTIVITY Lets take the Stress Symptoms Checklist

Nabuburn-out ka ba? Yes or No?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Have you recently found it more difficult to concentrate on the main tasks you were doing because you felt distracted by anger or worry? Have you recently lost sleep because of worry? Have you recently felt you lacked energy? Have you recently found yourself being snappy and irritable when dealing with others? Have you recently felt that you were really having difficulty in dealing with some of your work? Have you recently felt depressed? Have you recently felt you wanted to quit? Have you recently felt insecure about life or your self-worth?

SOURCES OF STRESS

Sources of Stress

Survival Stress
Internally generated stress & Anxiety Environmental and Job Stress Fatigue and Overwork

Survival Stress
When you are in a physically or emotionally threatening situation your body adapts to help it react more effectively to meet the threat. This is controlled mainly by release of adrenaline.

Internally Generated Stress

Personality Deadline High Perfectionism Excessive SelfEffacement Anxiety

Environment & Job Stress

Environmental stress. Your environment may be a
source of unpleasant or distracting stimuli.
Crowding and invasion of personal space Insufficient working and living space Noise Dirty or untidy conditions

Pollution
A badly organized or run down environment

Environment & Job Stress

Chemical & Nutritional Stress. The food you eat
may contribute to the stress you experience. Caffeine Alcohol Bursts of sugar from sweets or chocolate Too much salt

Nicotine

Environment & Job Stress

Lifestyle & Job Stresses
Too much or too little work Having to perform beyond your experience or perceived abilities Time pressures and deadlines Career development stress Stress from your organization or your clients Personal and family stress

Fatigue & Overwork

A particularly unpleasant source of stress comes from 'Hurry Sickness. Its a vicious circle of stress, which causes you to hurry jobs and do them badly. Under-performance causes feelings of frustration and failure.

If not managed, it can lead to long term fatigue, failure and one of the forms of physical or mental illhealth.

STRESS MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

STRESS MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

The strategies for stress management revolve around these basic principles: 1. Know yourself and the power within you your attitude

2. Establish Winning Relationships

3. Organize your Living and Working Environment air condition, lighting, furniture

4. Reduce Stress-Promoting Foods

5. Exercise to Reduce Anxiety

STRESS MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

Reduce or discontinue caffeine Regular exercise Relaxation/Meditation Sleep Time-outs and Leisure HUMOR

Quick and Easy Stress Busters

Take a Walk Exercise can be a great stress reliever in itself, as it helps you blow off steam and releases endorphins. Taking a walk when stressed provides the bonus of getting you out of the stressful situation and providing some perspective so you can return in a new frame of mind.

Exercise to Reduce Anxiety

Exercise has a number of other positive benefits: It improves blood flow to your brain, bringing the needed sugar and oxygen when you think intensely.

When you think hard, the neurons of your brain function more intensely. As they do this they build up toxic waste products that cause foggy thinking in the short term, and can damage the brain in the long term. By exercising you speed the flow of blood through your brain, moving these waste products faster.
It can cause release of chemicals called endorphins into your blood stream. These give you a feeling of happiness and wellbeing.

Quick and Easy Stress Busters

Take a Breath If you're not in a position to leave, you can feel better right away by practicing breathing exercises. Getting more oxygen into your body and releasing physical tension are two ways that breathing exercises can benefit you, and you can do them anytime or anywhere, even if your demanding situation isn't letting up.

Quick and Easy Stress Busters

Take a Mental Break If you can steal away a few minutes of peace, visualizations and guided imagery are a wonderful way to restore peace of mind. They're easy to do, and can relax you physically as well as mentally.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

Great technique for reducing overall body tension Tensing and relaxing all the muscle groups in your body Difficulty: EASY Time Required: 5 minutes

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

What you need:
A comfortable, quiet place Some privacy A little free time

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

1. After finding a quiet place and several free minutes to practice progressive muscle relaxation, sit or lie down and make yourself comfortable.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

2. Begin by tensing all the muscles in your face. Make a tight grimace, close your eyes as tightly as possible, clench your teeth, even move your ears up if you can. Hold this for the count of eight as you inhale.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

3. Now exhale and relax completely. Let your face go completely lax, as though you were sleeping. Feel the tension seep from your facial muscles, and enjoy the feeling.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

4. Next, completely tense your neck and shoulders, again inhaling and counting to eight. Then exhale and relax.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

5. Continue down your body, repeating the procedure with the following muscle groups:
chest abdomen entire right arm right forearm and hand (making a fist) right hand entire left arm

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

left forearm and hand (again, making a fist) left hand buttocks entire right leg lower right leg and foot right foot entire left leg lower left leg and foot left foot

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

6. For the shortened version, which includes just four main muscle groups:
face neck, shoulders and arms abdomen and chest buttocks, legs and feet

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

Quickly focusing on each group one after the other, with practice you can relax your body like liquid relaxation poured on your head and it flowed down and completely covered you. You can use progressive muscle relaxation to quickly de-stress any time.

My Personal Stress Management Program

I will I will I will

STOP

START

CONTINUE

Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one.
- Hans Selye

Every stress leaves an indelible scar. After a stressful situation, a person pays for its survival by becoming a little

older.

- Hans Selye

Gracias!